


on the nature of santa claus

by duelistkingdom



Series: 12 days of Christmas 2020 [9]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! - All Media Types, Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Healthy Relationships, M/M, Multi, atem also wants to duel santa claus, atem's the christmas present in this one, communication is key, healthy polyship, peachshipping is established, polyship christmas, pure fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-22
Updated: 2020-12-22
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:35:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28229253
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/duelistkingdom/pseuds/duelistkingdom
Summary: romance is in the air, folks.
Relationships: Atem/Mazaki Anzu | Tea Gardner, Atem/Mazaki Anzu | Tea Gardner/Mutou Yuugi, Mazaki Anzu | Tea Gardner/Mutou Yuugi, Mazaki Anzu | Tea Gardner/Mutou Yuugi/Yami Yuugi, Mazaki Anzu | Tea Gardner/Yami Yuugi, encourageshipping
Series: 12 days of Christmas 2020 [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2054562
Kudos: 6





	on the nature of santa claus

**Author's Note:**

> shout out to ruby for both beta'ing this and putting up with me yelling over this

Anzu and Yugi had been dating for some time now and this Christmas was just a little different than last Christmas. For one thing, Atem didn’t have a body of his own last Christmas and had been sharing Yugi’s. Due to that set up, Atem had very little concept of personal space when it came to Yugi. Before, when they were sharing a body, this had presented little issue, as Anzu could not see Atem hanging off Yugi all the time, nor did Atem crash Aznu and Yugi’s dates. However, things were different now. Atem was now showing up on their dates all the time, he was constantly pressed up against Yugi while Anzu was trying to hold hands with her boyfriend, and he was just... always around.

While Anzu knew she should mind, the truth was... she really didn’t. She’d always harbored a tiny bit of a crush on Atem, and him being around with Yugi was... well, it was more than she was willing to admit to, that was for sure. In fact, she tried to not focus on all the things that it did to her mind. If she allowed her mind to go there… then that wasn’t fair. She couldn’t let herself think those things. It was overwhelming enough when Atem decided to squish himself between her and Yugi when they were trying to cuddle on the couch. Didn’t he own a single shirt with sleeves? She found herself spending quite a bit of time at the dance studio trying to refocus herself and avoid overthinking every single aspect of this. She knew the reason she didn’t tell Atem to leave during Yugi and her dates was because some part of her wanted him to stick around. However, she couldn’t figure out why Yugi would do the same.

She wasn’t even sure how they’d managed to get time alone without Atem involved at this point. At least, until one date a week before Christmas, when Yugi finally looked her dead in the eyes and said, “Is it just me or is Atem… really hot?” Anzu didn’t have to reply at that point: she was certain her blush told Yugi everything he needed to know. She wasn’t expecting to be called out like this, especially on a date that was going relatively well. “Oh, good. It’s not just me that wants to kiss him then.”

That was perhaps the worst time for Anzu to start taking a sip of soda. She started choking on it, instantly picturing Yugi actually kissing Atem. Her cheeks felt on fire and she looked away from Yugi as she tried to clean the soda that she’d accidentally spilled everywhere up with her napkin, only to accidentally knock her silverware to the ground. Fantastic job, Anzu, she thought to herself, peeking up over the table at Yugi, who seemed rather nonplussed by this reaction. “Er, no,” she finally managed to say, well aware she couldn’t possibly embarrass herself any more than she’d already had. “Though uh… I… it’s not just that I want to kiss him it’s… more like… I want him included with us?”

It was a bold statement that hung in the air before Yugi grinned. “Okay, good, so it’s not just me then,” Yugi said, looking slightly relived. “I was worried you’d think I was weird for mentioning it. Or worse, get mad at me over bringing it up.”

“Why would I get mad at you for bringing up how you’re feeling?”

Yugi shrugged. “I dunno. I mean… I never tell him off when he interrupts our dates and I thought that… maybe you might’ve been bothered by that?”

Oh, so he did notice that Anzu had been wondering why Yugi hadn’t intervened and told Atem that they were on a date whenever Atem interrupted their dates. She wondered if that meant that he noticed her noticeable flustered state any time Atem had wrapped his arms around the both of them. Once again, she felt the flush return to her cheeks and she secretly hoped he hadn’t noticed the amount her thoughts tended to stray around the two of them. Or maybe he had already noticed and that was why he was bringing it up now. “Uh, maybe a little,” she admitted, “but… not for the reasons you might think?”

Yugi leaned in closer across the table, reaching to take her hand in his. “Anzu,” Yugi said, slowly and as if carefully considering his words. “You can go ahead and shoot this down if you’d like but… I was thinking… that maybe we should consider inviting Atem to be part of our relationship proper.”

She didn’t want to look too eager. After all, she’d been trying so hard to establish that Yugi was enough for her. And he was, really. If Atem wasn’t interested in the idea, she could be very happy with Yugi alone. However, this was a chance to have her cake and eat it too. Of course, she wasn’t about to shoot down the idea of having both of her favorite men be in a relationship with her. And if Yugi liked Atem too… wasn’t that just a win for both of them, then? They’d both get what they wanted. Anzu could think of several cons to this idea but for once, she ignored that. “I think if we both like him,” Anzu said, as steady as she could, “then we should… at least ask him, right? Especially if he’s already always around, right?”

It was one of those things that was easier said than done. Neither of them knew how to best approach Atem with the idea and neither of them wanted to be the one to approach Atem with the idea. Finally, Anzu decided the best approach was just to actively let him come on their Christmas date and try to subtly hint at the idea to Atem. Yugi agreed that it was the best idea they had, which led to both of them trying very awkwardly to invite Atem on the date without making it too obvious what they were angling at. For whatever reason, Atem didn’t seem to immediately pick up on what they were both suggesting.

“Hang out with both of you on Christmas,” Atem had said, rather brightly. “That sounds like a great idea! What are we doing?”

 _Hopefully making out_ , Anzu thought before realizing that wasn’t exactly the best thing to say. No, this was definitely something that required a delicate hand. After all, both her and Yugi agreed that they didn’t want to come off too strong right off the bat. “Uh, well, we were thinking dinner…maybe a movie,” Anzu said, cautiously reaching out to put her hand on his shoulder. Admittedly, part of that was because she just wanted to actually touch him. “A gift exchange, since it’s Christmas.”

“Christmas,” Atem asked, a puzzled expression on his face. “What’s that?”

“Ah, don’t worry too much about it,” Yugi said brightly. “It’s a holiday where the only thing that matters is people feel obligated to give you gifts regardless if you celebrate it or not.”

Anzu was about to argue when she decided it ultimately wasn’t worth it. Besides, did she really want to spend a lengthy conversation discussing the reasoning behind Christmas when the option to spend it with Yugi and Atem was what was up for discussion? She decided she didn’t want to risk it. “Do I have to get you guys a gift?”

 _You are the gift_ , Anzu thought before blushing. “Uh, no, don’t feel obligated to get us a gift. The fact you’re alive is enough of a gift.”

“Speak for yourself, Anzu,” Yugi exclaimed, a look of annoyance passing his face as he was reminded of the fact that it was assumed that Atem was going to die. Anzu supposed Yugi did have a good reason to be upset by that, considering the fact that the Ceremonial Duel was a toll on Yugi to begin with. It had been a bit of a toll on her too, but she supposed it wasn’t fair to frame it like that. “I absolutely demand you get me a gift, other me. It’s the only way to make up for making me think you were going to die.”

“Be fair, Yugi,” Anzu lightly teased, noticing Atem’s uneasy look. Perhaps Atem still felt a little guilty about how everything went down? Which was strange because as far as Anzu was concerned, it wasn’t Atem’s fault. “Besides, I’m sure he’ll get you something nice. Right, Atem?”

Atem nodded, a determined look in his eyes. “You guys are gonna be blown away by how great of a gift giver I am.”

Anzu wished she was half as confident as Atem was about getting a gift. Now she felt the need to make sure she had something good for Atem. But what did one get a previously dead Pharaoh brought back to life by the power of the Gods? A “congrats on beating death” card? Maybe a couple of booster packs, since it seemed those made him fairly happy? She was certain Yugi would enjoy the rare board game she’d spent the better half of a month hunting down, but for Atem, she was absolutely flummoxed. At least, until she walked past a custom shirt kiosk at the mall and an idea came directly to mind of exactly what Atem would want.

She was still nervous come Christmas Day. Yugi, for his part, seemed completely relaxed. For once, it wasn’t an issue that Atem lived at the same place Yugi did. It made it easier to swap gifts immediately. Yugi and Anzu decided that Atem should open his gifts first and Anzu grinned when she’d realized she’d gotten it right: he loved the “Yugi Mutou’s #1 Fan” custom shirt that she’d gotten him. Yugi, however, groaned. “Did you really have to get him that,” Yugi asked, red faced.

“Partner, it’s perfect,” Atem had said, eager to change into it to the point where he immediately shucked off the shirt he was wearing. Anzu pointedly tried to pretend she wasn’t checking out Atem’s rather well-toned chest as he changed into the new shirt. “It lets everyone know that you’re the best!”

“I thought he might like it,” Anzu said, her voice a pitch higher than it normally was. She was well aware there was no hiding the flame-red cheeks that she currently had. “Be grateful I didn’t get him the Yugi Funko. It would match the one on my shelf.”

“Don’t encourage him,” Yugi groaned. “He’s got more than enough merch related to me as it is. I didn’t even know half the stuff he has _existed_ nor who would want it outside of Atem.”

“Who cares who else would buy it,” Atem said, already unwrapping the gift Yugi had gotten him. Anzu was surprised to realize it was a keychain with Atem’s name written on it in kanji with what appeared to be a key to the Kame Game Shop. Atem’s eyes went wide as he gently lifted the keychain out of the box. “Oh! _Partner_ …”

“I wanted to make sure you’d never forget your name again,” Yugi said, looking a little embarrassed. “Do you like it?”

Anzu could tell from the look on Atem’s face that he didn’t just like it. It seemed to have deeply touched Atem and Anzu couldn’t help but smile despite herself. The one thing she’d always liked about Yugi was just how thoughtful and generous he could be, and here she got to see the purest form of that in action. “I think he likes it,” she said softly, stepping in when it seemed like Atem had been rendered speechless. “Perhaps we should see what he got you?”

Yugi nodded and went to open his own gift from Atem, looking a little surprised when he discovered a Kuriboh plushie the size of his head inside the box. He lifted it out of the box, a raised brow. “Atem,” he said slowly, holding the plushie up and Anzu stifled a laugh. There was no way that it would fit anywhere in their room, and there was a good chance Atem had purchased this with the intention of it being for himself, considering how much Atem liked Kuriboh. “Where do you expect me to put this?”

“I was thinking the bed,” Atem said, an innocent look on his face. “It’s neat, isn’t it? Plus, look, Anzu likes it too.”

Anzu’s eyes went wide as Yugi looked at her with a slight look of betrayal, and she shook her head. “No, I just thought that it’s funny that it’s two feet tall and almost half your height,” she said, smacking her hand to her mouth as she realized that was not much better of a statement. “You’re adorable! Perfect cuddle height! Oh God, I’m so sorry, it’s just so funny.”

“Must you mock my height,” Yugi said with a faux pout on his face that changed when Anzu winked at him, gesturing to where his eyeline met. Yugi’s cheeks turned pink and instantly he switched topics. “I imagine you’re going to get more mileage out of this plushie Kuriboh than I am, Atem.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Atem said, much quicker than he should have. “That reminds me… Anzu, did you avoid the creepy old man breaking into your home last night?”

Instantly, Anzu was flummoxed as to what Atem could possibly be talking about. Judging by the look on Yugi’s face, she should absolutely approach this with caution. It seemed to be vitally important to Atem as he looked deeply concerned. “Uh,” she said, rather awkwardly. “I wasn’t aware there was a creepy old man to be worried about, but no creepy old men broke into my house last night.”

Atem nodded rather sagely. “You boarded up your fireplace too?”

The entire plot was lost with that and Anzu had no clue what Atem was talking about. She tried to figure out what he could possibly be talking about before realization sunk in. No, he couldn’t possibly be referring to… “Atem,” she said, rather cautiously. “Are you concerned that Santa Claus left gifts at my house last night?”

“The song says you better watch out,” Atem said, looking alarmed. “What if his gifts are actually evil? Why else would you have to watch out for this man? And why would he have to break in at the dead of night while everyone is asleep if he’s leaving good gifts? This entire man’s deal is fishy.”

“Atem,” she said gently, trying to figure out how to best explain Santa to someone who did not grow up with the concept. “Er, he’s trustworthy. He has a clean record for at least a thousand years. Surely if he was evil, it would’ve come up.”

“Oy vey, Santa isn’t real,” Yugi exclaimed, looking more than frustrated. “I’ve tried explaining this to Atem already! Santa’s not real! Christians made him up to sell more Christmas!”

“Actually, I think Santa Claus is based on Saint Nicholas,” Anzu said, well aware that statement would not help matters. At this point, she was more amused by the idea that Atem actively distrusted Santa Claus and part of her wanted to see if he would try to duel Santa. “I think Kaiba would know more about Santa if that’s the case, considering he’s Catholic.”

Instantly, Yugi got what Anzu was getting at. “Yeah, you should definitely ask Kaiba all about Santa Claus,” Yugi said, perking up. “In fact, you should also ask him about the Easter Bunny while you’re at it.”

Atem looked confused but nodded. “If Kaiba knows about this Santa fellow then I should ask him,” he said, slowly, frowning. “Who’s the Easter Bunny?”

Anzu smirked. “Critically important to knowing more about Santa,” Anzu said, concealing a laugh behind her hand. “Don’t let him tell you that either aren’t real. He knows more than he’s letting on.”

Atem nodded with a determined look in his eyes and Anzu almost wished her gift from Atem was getting to see the look on Kaiba’s face when Atem asked him about Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny. Somehow, they managed to make it through opening the rest of the gifts with little incident (Yugi had, of course, loved the gift Anzu had spent weeks hunting down) and managed to make their way to the restaurant that Yugi had booked reservations for weeks ago. It seemed that he’d forgotten, however, to switch the reservation to three, leading to them being rather squished in a booth together. Not the worst situation to be in, Anzu decided. In fact, as the night went on, the conversation never seemed to truly stop.

“I can’t believe you boarded up the fireplace,” Yugi complained as both Atem and Yugi were yanking the boards off the fireplace. “I told you: even if Santa was real, he wouldn’t stop here. We’re Jewish.”

“Better safe than sorry, partner,” Atem said, rather conversational as Anzu looked through the movies for them to watch. She had to admit this was going rather smoothly. Still, the nerve-racking conversation was up ahead. The one where Yugi and her would approach Atem with the idea of him being part of an actual relationship with them. “Couldn’t risk a break in. Right, Anzu?”

Anzu jumped slightly at the sudden address. “Perhaps you’re being just a little paranoid, Atem,” she said gently as both Atem and Yugi managed to finish taking the boards off the fireplace. Yugi started tossing the wood into the fireplace and got to work on starting up a fire. “I don’t think anyone’s ever actually been hurt by Santa.” It was not a natural break in conversation but Anzu had finally struck up the nerve and it truly was now or never. “Uh, unrelated but… Atem. Um, what did you think of spending the day with Yugi and I?”

“It was great,” Atem said with a giant grin on his face. “Hanging out with you guys is one of my favorite things to do!”

“So… Would you like to do so more often,” Yugi said, jumping in rather awkwardly with a blush appearing across his cheeks. Perhaps he was more nervous about this than Anzu previously thought. “Cause Anzu and I were thinking…that we both like being around you and…”

Atem seemed confused and instantly Anzu realized where they had lost him: at no point had either of them mentioned anything about _dating_. “Oh, for God’s sake,” Anzu said, knowing that it really was now or never. “Yugi and I are dating, and we want to date you too! As in, we both think you’re hot! We both want to kiss you! Are you down for that?”

Instantly, Anzu wished she could cram the words back into her mouth. So much for delicate. To her great surprise, Atem’s eyes widened, and then he immediately pressed a kiss right on Yugi’s mouth. Before she could even process what just happened, Atem suddenly pressed a kiss right to _her_ mouth next. “I’ve been wanting to do that for a while,” Atem exclaimed, looking excited. “You guys are both really okay with this?”

Anzu was just a little too dizzy to answer, so it was Yugi who responded, nodding. “Glad this works out, then,” Yugi said brightly, grabbing the film Anzu had selected out of her hands to put it on. Atem, for his part, had pulled Anzu into a tight cuddle and thrown a blanket over the two of them as the fire started. Anzu found that she had very little to think about now as Yugi joined them, and she thought that it was so very nice to have everything work out just fine.

Perhaps it would always be in Anzu’s nature to overthink, but right now, with her two favorite men near her and fireplace roaring, Anzu found it very hard to care about the future at all. And there was definitely the pro that whatever one-bedroom apartment she picked out in New York City, she now had two other people to split the rent with. Sure, there was so much to think about in regard to the future and how this would work out but for once, Anzu pushed it to the side. She could enjoy that in this moment, she was blissfully happy.


End file.
